Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler was born on August 12, 1949, in Scotland. He is a singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. Knopfler is mostly famous for such hits as “Darling Pretty”, “What It Is”, and “True Love Will Never Fail”. He holds numerous awards, including 4 Grammies. Mark Knopfler’s father was a Hungarian Jew immigrant and his mother was British. He was born in Glasgow. Mark was a big fan of music ever since he was a kid and always dreamed of becoming a guitarist. His idols were Jimmy Hendrix, James Burton, Hank Marvin, and Scotty Moore. When Mark was a teenager, he played in various school bands. However, after finishing school, he decided to become a reporter. Mark worked as a reporter for Yorkshire Evening Post and studied at the Leeds University. At that time, Mark met a bluesman Steve Phillips, who helped him found a project Duolian String Pickers. That’s when Mark, who was left-handed, started creating his own style.

While living in Leeds, Knopfler recorded his first song “Summer Is Coming My Way”. When he graduated, Mark went to London, where he started working with a blues band Brewer’s Droop. However, the band didn’t have enough funds to survive and Mark had to leave. He started earning money by giving lectures. In 1970’s Knopfler and his younger brother David formed a band called Dire Straits. The band received worldwide recognition. However, by the beginning of 1980’s, Knopfler decided to pursue a solo career. His first solo project was the soundtrack to the movie Local Hero. Later, Mark worked on the music for Cal, Comfort and Joy, and The Princess Bride.

In 1989, together with the old friends Steve Phillips and Brendan Cocker, Mark formed a band Notting Hillbillies. They released a famous country and blues album Missing..Presumed Having a Good Time. After the group disbanded, Mark continued to pursue a solo career. In 1996, he released his first solo album Golden Heart, which was moderately successful. Four years later, Mark released his most successful album Sailing to Philadelphia. It received numerous platinum certifications and high spots on the charts. Overall, Mark recorded 7 studio albums, each one of which made it into various charts and got to the highest spots on the British Albums Chart. Each one of his albums received at least a silver certification. Many went platinum. Knopfler continues to work on new music and performs live.